Kansas woman alleges state investigators owe her over seizures

A Kansas woman says she paid her neighbor $700 in cash for yard services, but when authorities arrested the man they seized her money and kept it.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Suzanne James, 72, alleges the Kansas Bureau of Investigation balked at returning her money unless she went to its headquarters for questioning, which she refused to do.

James says she paid $700 in cash to her neighbor, Chad Wendlandt, 42, to mow her lawn and provide tree care services while she was out of town last summer. But Wendlandt was arrested by the KBI on charges of bond violation before he could do the work.

The KBI says it acted appropriately and that the matter is no longer its responsibility. The bureau says Wendlandt's case concluded when he was sentenced to prison in December for drug crimes.